6. sanction action by a state or states calculated to force another state to comply with its obligations: to invoke sanctions against an aggressor.
7. (v.t.)sanction to authorize, approve, or allow.
8. sanction to ratify or confirm.
9. sanction to impose a sanction on; penalize, esp. by way of discipline.
Etymology: (1555–65; < L sānctiō)
Definition of 'sanction'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (noun)sanction, countenance, endorsement, indorsement, warrant, imprimatur formal and explicit approval "a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement"
2. (noun)sanction a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards
3. (noun)authority, authorization, authorisation, sanction official permission or approval "authority for the program was renewed several times"
4. (verb)sanction the act of final authorization "it had the sanction of the church"
5. (verb)approve, O.K., okay, sanction give sanction to "I approve of his educational policies"
7. (verb)sanction give religious sanction to, such as through on oath "sanctify the marriage"
Definition of 'sanction'
Webster Dictionary
1. (noun)sanction solemn or ceremonious ratification; an official act of a superior by which he ratifies and gives validity to the act of some other person or body; establishment or furtherance of anything by giving authority to it; confirmation; approbation
2. (noun)sanction anything done or said to enforce the will, law, or authority of another; as, legal sanctions
3. (verb)sanction to give sanction to; to ratify; to confirm; to approve
Definitions of sanction 
Afrikaans: goedkeuring, toestemming
Arabic: إقْرار، مُوافَقَه
Bulgarian: разрешение
Brazilian: autorização
Czech: souhlas
German: die Billigung
Danish: godkendelse
Greek: έγκριση, χορήγηση άδειας
Spanish: sanción, autorización, pe
Estonian: luba, heakskiit
Farsi: اجازه
Finnish: hyväksyntä
French: approbation
Hebrew: אִישוּר
Hindi: मंजूरी
Croatian: sankcija, dozvola
Hungarian: szentesítés
Indonesian: izin, persetujuan
Icelandic: leyfi, heimild
Italian: approvazione
Japanese: 承認
Korean: 허가, 인가
Lithuanian: sankcija
Latvian: sankcija; atļauja
Malay: persetujuan
Dutch: goedkeuring
Norwegian: tillatelse, godkjenning, 
Polish: aprobata, zezwolenie
Persian: اجازه
Pashto: مننه، تصويب، منظورول
Portuguese: autorização
Romanian: aprobare
Russian: одобрение, разрешение; са
Slovak: súhlas, schválenie
Slovenian: odobritev
Serbian: odobrenje
Swedish: bifall, godkännande, till
Thai: การอนุญาต; การอนุมัติ
Turkish: resmî izin
Taiwanese: 批准
Ukrainian: затвердження; офіційний д
Urdu: منظوری
Vietnamese: sự phê chuẩn
Chinese: 批准
